Some good news for barbers, stylists and beauty professionals as Schedulicity has announced that they will be waiving their fees one last time.

Whether you have been using them for years or are just signing up, you can use all Schedulicity features for free until September 1, 2020.

A social media post on 25th June said: “We hope that this will help lighten the last few months’ financial burdens. We also know that to really use our best features – and to see how valuable they are – you need to be open and booking again. So take your time!”

This is one of many actions that the team at Schedulicity have taken to support the industry in these uncertain times. To sign up or to find out more about their services, visit https://essentials.schedulicity.com/

Yesterday the Prime Minister confirmed that barbers and hairdressers in England can reopen from Saturday 4th July, including mobile and freelance barbers.

The guidelines for ensuring safe practice have now been released and state that shops can reopen for ‘services that relate to cutting or treating hair on the head only’, which suggests that for the time being, beard trims and shaves will not be possible.

The key points of the Safer Workplace guidlelines for England are:

• All barbershops must complete a risk assessment and post evidence of this within the barbershop
• Stick to social distancing and maintain two metres between clients where possible, or one metre with additional precautions, such as the use of screens
• Face visors must be work by barbers for all services. Face coverings can be worn by barbers and clients, if they choose to, but are not considered a substitute for visors
• Clients should be seen by appointment only and barbershops should keep a temporary record of clients and visitors for 21 days to support the test-and-trace system
• Contactless payments are preferred
• Waiting areas are allowed, but only if space permits and social distancing can be adhered to
• No food or drinks should be consumed in the shop by clients other than water in disposable cups or bottles
• Disposable gowns should be used however, if this is not possible, gowns should be switched between clients and cleaned thoroughly before being reused
• The guidance does not ban the use of hairdryers
• Regular hand washing and sanitisation of surfaces and tools

The full Safer Workplace guidelines are available to view here: https://bit.ly/2ZiLxnJ

Hilary Hall, chief executive of the NHBF, says: “Although it’s great news that hairdressers and barbers in England have a confirmed opening date, these decisions have come very late in the day. We are also extremely disappointed that beauty businesses are not yet allowed to reopen, and we have always emphasised that hair and beauty should reopen at the same time. We will continue to put pressure on the government to allow beauty businesses to reopen as soon as possible, and for financial support to be extended.”

Meanwhile, Keith Conniford, CEO of the Hair and Barber Council, said: “The guidance states that these are steps that will ‘usually be needed’, which suggests that a degree of common sense is needed. Our back to work plan will work alongside this guidance, with the government guidance always taking priority if there are any conflicts.”

From the 8-13th August 2020, a barbering and bike-obsessed group will congregate in the seaside town of Southport, the hometown of The Company of Master Barbers, for the 4th annual BarbersRide. Born out of a shared passion for barbering and motorbikes, this 5-day UK road trip is not to be missed.

As well as bringing like-minded folk together, the mission of BarbersRide is to raise as much funds and awareness for a chosen charity whilst enjoying the unbeatable sense of camaraderie that only a motorcycling road trip can offer. This year’s charity is the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

2020’s BarbersRide is set to be bigger and better than ever, with over 30 riders involved. The uncertainty and effects of lockdown have added unexpected challenges, however there are wishes waiting and the BarbersRide team are more determined than ever not just to create a memorable experience, but to raise money for an incredible charity in the process.

So far, six barbershops across England have committed to organising fundraising activities to support the cause, including The Company of Master Barbers, 6 Hub Barber Shop, Bond’s Gentlemen’s Barbershop, The Heartbreak Club, Christian Wiles Gentlemen’s Grooming and Gilly’s Barbers.

To book your spot or to find out more about this year’s event, visit https://barbersride.com/

Boris Johnson has today announced the next easing of restrictions in England, which will take effect from Saturday 4th July.

With the UK’s COVID Alert level now reduced from 4 to 3, the Prime Minister has announced that although all steps are conditional, where it is not possible to stay 2 metres apart, 1 metre or more should be observed.

We welcome the news that barbers and hairdressers will also be able to reopen from the 4th July, with appropriate precautions in place, including the use of visors.

After a long, difficult wait, as of next Saturday, barbershops will be able to reopen their doors and welcome clients back to the chair. The Prime Minister said he will publish COVID secure guidelines for all sectors that are able to reopen.

While no further guidelines have yet been published regarding best practice, we expect to receive these in the coming days and will keep you up to date as and when we receive them.

Visit https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus for full details on today’s announcement.

Please note, this announcement covers barbershops in England and does not apply to shops in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Today, Monday 22nd June, barbershops and salons across both New York City and New Jersey are finally able to reopen their doors as they reach the much-anticipated second reopening phase.

One of the last areas in the US to reopen, this news will be warmly welcomed by both barbers and clients, with nail salons, spas, tanning salons and tattoo parlors also given the go-ahead to reopen.

New safety standards including increased hygiene practices will be in place to keep clients and staff safe, with many shops opening initially with a reduced capacity in order to adhere to social distancing.

BarberEVO welcomes this news and wishes New York and New Jersey well on their return to work.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced today the latest changes to the easing of the lockdown in Wales. The hairdressing, barbering and beauty sector are being urged to use the next three weeks to prepare their businessees for reopening by appointment only.

A follow up announcement is expected on the 9th July to confirm whether it is safe for businesses to reopen their doors from the 13th July.

At the moment, no specific guidance for the hair and beauty sector has been released. The NHBF has written to Ken Skates, the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales in the Welsh Government, urging for these guidelines to be released without delay so that shop and salon owners can prepare.

Andis Company and Central Standard Craft Distillery have come together to offer FREE Sanitizer and Maintenance kits for barbers to help them get back to work.

Andis Company is contributing their trust CoolCare Plus Spray and Clipper Oil along with a bonus 6-pack of Andis x Uppercut Deluxe Pomade.

Central Standard has started producing hand sanitizer instead of spirits and will be contributing three bottles of sanitizer to the kits.

To help barbers get back to work, Andis and Central Standard are providing free Sanitizer & Maintenance kits to the first 600 barbers to register using the form here.

Barbers and hairdressers will be able to reopen in Northern Ireland on 6 July.

It is among a series of measures agreed by Stormont ministers in an attempt to further ease the lockdown. Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said those businesses should now ensure they have the appropriate safety measures in place.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said the indicative dates came with a ‘health warning’ and that if the rate of the virus increased, the dates would need to be pushed back.

We will continue to post updates as and when we receive them. This date does not apply to barbershops in Scotland, England or Wales, who are awaiting government guidelines on when they can reopen and under what restrictions.

NHBF has today published an open letter sent today to the Rt. Hon Alok Sharma MP Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, stressing the urgent need for the Government to publish formal guidance regarding close proximity services, which includes hair and beauty salons and barbershops.

The letter can be read in full below:

Dear Alok

I am writing to stress the urgent need for the Government to publish formal guidance regarding close proximity services.

As you will know from our previous meetings and ongoing discussions with your department, the National Hair & Beauty Federation has been proactive in communicating the Government’s latest advice and information to our members and the wider industry.

We have also been a significant contributor to the draft guidelines on ‘Working Safely Guidance – Close Contact Services including Hair and Beauty’. As well as attending a round table meeting with you on 22 May, we have provided continued technical advice to BEIS officials. We put forward a representative selection of salons, barbershops, beauty salons and freelancers to comment on the first draft of the guidelines which were published late on Friday 5 June. With a deadline of 5pm on Monday 8 June, many people from across the industry willingly gave up time to meet the government’s timetable and support these important developments understanding the urgent need to publish guidance. Despite a real sense of progress, we have heard nothing since.

There is growing frustration at the continued delay in publishing these guidelines, preventing hair salons, beauty salons and barbershops from being able to fully prepare their businesses, staff and clients for reopening.

We have written to you previously about urgent need for guidance on PPE in particular. Salons and barbershops have been unable to trade for months, so if they are to make a financial investment in PPE, they need to be confident that they are buying the right materials and they need sufficient time to source supplies.

We understand the latest advice is that these services will not re-open until 4 July at the earliest but businesses need adequate time – ideally two weeks – to redesign their premises, train staff, ensure they have suitable PPE, communicate with clients regarding operational changes, implement adequate hygiene standards, and come to terms with the changes necessary to ensure the safety of themselves and their clients.

We therefore urge you to publish the guidance without any further delay. We are available to provide any support necessary in order to ensure this outcome.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Hall
Chief Executive

National Hair & Beauty Federation

Partnering with the NHS and South West Mental Health Clinical Network, BarberTalk are offering a new virtual training session to barbers and hairdressers for free.

The bespoke online training course, called BarberTalk Online, is designed to assist hair professionals before they return to work, giving them the skills to help their clients when in need.

This in-depth session builds on the four pillars of training to equip you with the skills to help your clients to better mental wellbeing.

BarberTalk Online training will:

• Give you the tools to RECOGNISE mental health issues in your clients
• Equip you to be able to ASK direct questions about the emotional wellbeing of your clients
• Refine your LISTENING skills to be present at a critical moment for your client
• Provide you with the resources to HELP your client find support

This is a four hour course where you will learn directly from Tom Chapman and his team of ambassadors, dive into the topics of mental health, share how it impacts you and your job, and learn how you can support your clients.

The course is FREE for a limited time only, with classes running from the 22nd June to the 2nd July.

To sign up to a class, click here.